Nine of Swords

Scott Appel | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 10, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Schoolkids Records
• ASIN: B0000012R4
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #432,855 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Bird Flew By

2. Somnus

3. Blur

4. Nearly

5. Far Leys

6. Blossom

7. Our Season

8. Nine of Swords

9. Place to Be

10. Thanatopsis

11. Parasite

12. Spencer the Rover

13. Silent Snow

14. Song for Ireland

Editorial Reviews

In 1989 Appel released the album Nine of Swords on the Kicking Mule label as KM-343, which included six Nick Drake covers, unpublished songs with permission of Nick Drake's estate and also some Drake-influenced pieces. It was reissued for the first time on CD in 1995 by Schoolkids Records. The album was warmly reviewed by David Fricke in Rolling Stone. Appel died in New Jersey at the age of 48 after a long battle with heart disease. "Nine of Swords is both a touching tribute to, and an in-depth exploration of, the music and genius of Nick Drake. A masterful acoustic guitar player, Scott Appel has actually managed to figure out some of Drake's ultra-obscure alternate tunings and here uses them on performances of unreleased compositions by Nick Drake himself, as well as several excellent Drake-influenced originals. Amazingly, Appel manages not only to duplicate Drake's enigmatic guitar stylings, but the late singer/songwriter's quiet grace and intensity as well. Perfect music for a lonely winter day, Nine of Swords occasionally veers into new age territory, but more often is reminiscent of Leo Kottke or Frank Christian, two other players who share Nick Drake's penchant for gracing powerfully meditative and emotionally charged songs with brilliant and complex guitar playing. On a few tunes, Appel strays from the solo acoustic format by including bass, percussion, strings, synth, electric lead guitar and tape loop effects, but the additions are always appropriate, occasionally (particularly on the title track) recalling the more experimental work of John Martyn. A gifted player who is incredibly adept at duplicating the haunting musical moods of his hero, Scott Appel has, with Nine of Swords, unquestionably established himself as the torchbearer and foremost interpreter of Nick Drake's work. ~ Pemberton Roach"

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Music by and about Nick Drake..., January 11, 2006

By 

B. Bowman "Double B" (Jersey, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nine of Swords (Audio CD)

Nick Drake's music is some of my favorite music to listen to from a guitar player's standpoint because of his unique tunings and fingerpicking style. Learning a Nick Drake song from scratch is to say the least a daunting proposition. Scott Appel chose to tackle the music of Nick Drake and on this CD really does an impressive job. I was somewhat skeptical to hear his versions of Drake's "Parasite" and "Place To Be" and wondered before hearing them how Scott Appel could possibly bring his own voice to music that is so closely associated with its writer. I can say after hearing this disc in its entirety that Scott Appel not only possesses a great talent on the guitar but also was able to successfully build on Nick Drake's work. His version of Drake's "Bird Flew By" which opens the CD is a beautiful rendition, and his tasteful layering of guitar parts with keyboard definitely adds to the original idea laid down by Nick Drake on his home recording of the song. I was also impressed with Appel's version of "Place To Be"; Appel's lower register vocal adds to the brooding lyrics and really took me by surprise. This CD is subtitled as "Songs by and about Nick Drake", and the little touches here and there remind you of the significance of the subtitle. Appel's original guitar composition "Thanatopsis" contains an instrumental break from Nick Drake's "River Man", and is almost like a wink to the "in the know" listeners who are familiar with Drake's music. Also noteworthy is Appel's song "Blur", in which he demonstrates an interesting combination of alternate guitar tuning and slide guitar. The way the guitar was recorded on this disc sounds crisp and ethereal throughout. I was able to track down a used copy of this CD and it was well worth it. This is a great CD to own even if you are unfamiliar with the music of Nick Drake. If you are a fan of acoustic guitar it is definitely worth purchasing a copy of this album.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Food for the soul...and ear...and heart., November 30, 2005

By 

Robert Mcluckie "Nuts Fer Music" (Michigan) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nine of Swords (Audio CD)

This is a wonderful work- Deep, delicate, soothing, magical. Guitar players will enjoy the power of Scott's artful simplicity. Poets will love the lyrical content. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worthy to stand with Nick's own recordings, July 3, 2009

By 

William Timothy Lukeman - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Nine of Swords (Audio CD)

"Compositions by and about Nick Drake" .... that's a very tall order, and one that seems all too likely to fail. But Scott Appel, granted access to unreleased home tapes of Nick Drake's unrecorded songs by his parents, makes an unqualified success of this tribute in every way. While honoring Nick's work, and hewing very closely to its tone & atmosphere, Scott Appel never yields to merely aping Nick's style & voice. He brings his own musical & artistic passion to it -- and that makes all the difference.

Of course it's wonderful to hear "new" songs by Nick Drake, when we all thought there was nothing left to hear. But Scott does even more, crafting songs that are genuinely inspired by Nick's work, without simply being poor pastiche. There's a real unity & purity to this collection, making it a cohesive artistic work, rather than a mere ragbag in search of a few exploitive dollars. In an odd way, I'm reminded of Shelley's beautiful elegy for Keats, "Adonais" -- both mourning & celebration by one poet for another.

Here you'll find much beauty, tenderness, & melancholy reflection, all of which are rare things these days. A pity this CD is currently out of print; and an even greater pity that Scott himself died much too young, when he obviously had so much more to give. As you can see, prices for used copies can be a bit high -- but in this case, the CD is definitely worth it. For all fans of Nick's work, as well as fans of sensitive, quality songwriting as well -- most highly recommended!